Name/Title
Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie on Horseback; Cariboo Justice. First Chief Justice Crown Colony of B.C.Entry/Object ID
2001.01.29Description
Sculpture
This mounted figure depicts Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (1819-1894), a British lawyer, politician, and judge. A weary Begbie is shown in wig and long gown on horseback as if moving down a steep mountain trail (indicated by the sloped base), imagined on his way to (or from) administer justice at a remote site in the B.C. Interior. The horse also appears weary, his head down and the reins are slack as he proceeds downward.
In 1858, Begbie became the first Chief Justice of the new Crown Colony of British Columbia in colonial times and in the first decades after British Columbia joined Confederation as a province of Canada serving from 1871 until his death in 1894.Type of Sculpture
Free StandingArtwork Details
Medium
Cast bronzeSubject Place
Region
Pacific NorthwestContinent
North AmericaContext
Likely born on a British ship at the Cape of Good Hope, Begbie first lived in Mauritius, and later in Guernsey. Following studies at Elizabeth College, Trinity College - Cambridge, and later Peterhouse College he obtained a BA in 1841. After articling, Begbie became a barrister three years later. In 1858 his name was put forward for the position of judge of the new colony of B.C.
With the influx of over 30,000 prospectors and others during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush from 1858 and the later Cariboo Gold Rush of 1861, Begbie played a crucial role in establishing law and order in the B.C. Interior and the mining camps. His efforts and those of Governor James Douglas ensured that the colony remained British, to later become part of Canada. Begbie traveled throughout the province, on foot and later on horseback and by canoe administering justice. In 1865 alone, he reportedly covered some 5,600 kilometres. Begbie also played a valuable role as a member of the colonial executive and as the originator and draftsman of important legislation.
Begbie was viewed as contentious, yet he also had a lifelong interest in progressive law reforms, he made sound civil litigation decisions, he persuaded the federal government to preserve traditional Indigenous fishing rights on the lower Fraser River, and he expressed a positive opinion of B.C.'s First Nations and Chinese peoples. He was also seen as controversial for his racial attitudes at times, for accusations of judicial impropriety, for his denunciations of juries who reached verdicts he did not like, and in particular, for his role in the trials of six Tsilhqot’in Chiefs which resulted in their execution. The six were exonerated posthumously
in 2014.
After his death, this man of many contradictions with a controversial legacy, came to be known as the 'Hanging Judge', although many dispute this conclusion. Begbie was made a Knight Bachelor according to the London Gazette of November 19, 1875.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Ralph MacKern Sketch (1910-1993). Former UCBC Member ArtistRole
SculptorDate made
1972Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
SCULPTOR STATEMENT (Inscribed on base of one/third sized sculpture of Sir Matthew Baillie Begie previously installed at the Law Society of B.C., Vancouver)
"In this piece of sculpture I have tried to express some of the strength and compassion of this great man who asked that his grave be marked only by a wooden cross inscribed “ God be merciful to me, a sinner”.
SCULPTOR BIOGRAPHY
Born in Argentina of a British family, Ralph MacKern Sketch was an internationally-recognized and self-taught Canadian sculptor best known for his equestrian works whose passion was horses and the people that rode them in making their mark in history. He acquired his life-long love of horses in Argentina and in boarding school in England he loved art classes, spending time with the noted British painter and sculptor of horses, Alfred Adrian Jones MVO (1845- 1938) who along with the famed American artist and sculptor Frederic Remington (1861-1909) was much admired by the young student.
Sketch came to Canada in 1927 and graduated from Montréal's McGill University in 1931 with a degree in agricultural economics, also studying comparative vertebrate anatomy. He then worked in insurance for the Phoenix Assurance Company of London in Canada, as well as some time in New Zealand. When WWII broke out Sketch brought his family to safety in Victoria, while he went overseas with the Canadian Artillery becoming a member of the Third Canadian Division, that landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.
After many years of success in the insurance business, Sketch started a second career as a sculptor moving to North Pender Island, B.C. in 1967. He came to be recognized for his dynamic form, finely executed detail work and attention to overlooked or little known moments of history. He completed commissions for historical societies, government organizations and private individuals. These included sculptures of historic figures from many walks of life such as Sir James Douglas, Edgar Dewdney, Louis Riel, General Le Marquis De Montcalm, Kootenai Brown, General Brock, Laura Secord and others, many depicted with their beloved horses. His historical bronzes, both small and large, created using the lost wax process, can be found in corporate and private collections, museums, public buildings and parks across Canada and beyond. Sketch also created the McKee Trophy given annually to the top international show jumping team at Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair, and he and his family continued their love of and involvement with horses including breeding, riding, hunting, racing and show jumping.
Sketch and his wife Marian lived half the year in California where Sketch did business with the multiple foundries that cast his works. Both Sketches were also authors, and tragically, both died in a fire and explosion in their island home in 1993.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
InscriptionLocation
On base: "CARIBOO JUSTICE Ralph Sketch sc 1972"Acquisition
Acquisition Method
GiftNotes
Legacy collection
Donated by artistRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2001.01.29 Sir Matthew Baille Begbie on Horseback; Cariboo Justice
2001.01.34 Portrait of Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (1819-94)…
2016.01.18 Portrait of Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (1819-94), standing
2016.01.19 Portrait of Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (1819-1894), seated
